Vehicle signal device



April1z, -1931s. KREMATSU 2,113,919 1 VEHICLE ls161151 DEVICE Y v V F11@Nov. $24; l193@v INVE im y g ,2, e,

(UNITED PATENT cerros.; f

, vfEmcLE slcrannnvlce n lli Koreinats'u, ak'iand, Calif., assigner of,vone-p v third toJ.' S. Killzm, Piedmont, Calif., and onefemminalilarryfC. Schroeder. Concord, Calif.

A. inventionrelates to visual signal devices lI4 and s1 lower sectionI6. y'I'heupper sectionis used to indicate the directions vof movementoi a provided along its edge with a ridge ,l'l which en vemclei .YIgenres ini-a complementrrress -lfformed onf;

Itisan object oftheinventionfto, provide an the edge of the "lower*sectionV so'that when the 5 improved' construction;V for vehiclex`signal. detwo sectiom arejoined relativehorizontai :n'nive- 5 vices. yj; ,v ment therebetweengisjprevented, l'I'he loyzverseo- `Another.object ofy vthe invention isftoprovide y ytion is provided with "alcentrally apertured boss i novel means for 'summing the signal-lamps ina lswhich enters the apertureil of the l device of the characterdescribed. t Y. Aand theupper section and part of.- the lower sec.L 10 Ai'urtherobject oitheinvention isto `provide tionrareprovided .with aperipheral groove' 2|?ir`i 10 improved means fior` esllientlyfsupporting the i which is seated astragp 22 whose opposite edsare iiampsfandi for conducting the current in f secured to luesj 23,risiheurwardlv from the base x y l Y v I2, by screws. The lanipcasing,by the struc- The invention possese otnerpbjects and rea.-tureiustgdescri-bed; is securely attached to; the e `itui'esofimportancesomeoi'whicntogetherwith base I2. The casing is made oftransparent ma- 15 the foregoing, will be spie'ciiically` set forthAinthe terial `whichfmay `be glass', a phenol-resl'ncomi* *detaileddescription oi the' inventior'r hereunto position, molded celluloid, 'orany' substance `of a annexed.` It is` to beunderstoodthat the invenlikenature. i y tion is not to belimited to theparticularspecies Means areprovided for supporting light sources thereof shown and described asvariousfoth'er emwithin the lamp casing. `liformedfin each edge 20 ibodiments thereof employed within the -ofV the upper and lowjer casingsections I4v4 andi 6` scope o! the appendedh claims. between the edgesofthe groove`2| is anotch y `Rei'erringto the drawing: l f which, when thesections are slumpedtogetherg.` Figurel is a perspective view of anautomobile f by the strap 22provide a pairofopposedaperf .showingtheapplicationhoffthelsignal devices of tures 26.` A pairoi lampsupports is`provided 25' my invention thereto. f f i 'eachconstmctedof asingleportionof sheet Figure 2is a` side elevationalview of the signalmetal havingits center-section removedto ioruril i device, portions oi'`'the broken away i a rectangular fraine narrowsides 2,1 'and e so `as tomore clearly disclose :the interior'conends 28 joining the.. sides'together. rEacnside 21 struction. f 1 is provided withapair Qflipwdrdlydirectedsg 30 1 Figure 3 i is a rverticiztl sectional view ofthe Shapedbends 2 9 and with halffround depressions;` j signaldevicefTheplaneoffsectionis indicated e Il. Each 0i' thedepressionsgpiovidesacradlefor by theline ofFlgureZ; l aportion of apairof Cfshapedfelectric discharge i `Figure-1 is s. perspectiveviewofone oftheiamp tubes 32 which aref. asis best shown in Ficum, tmounting clips. Y disposedside by sideinthe lampcasing. yOneencl 36 f iFigure 5 is awiring diagraxnshowing the elee-v 10i feach tube isprovided with?. metallic terminal tricalcircuits for energizlng'thesignal lamps. `can fwhicli.'l lying in onefof the `depressiims 3|' i IndetalLa plurality ofthe signal devices, genformselectricalcontacttherewith and the other end of the tube is providedwith a terminal 34 to f which the current conductors 3B are secured. The40 g the lamp circuits.

erally' indicated in `Figure 1 by the reference numeral 6, may beplacedon the automobile l in v pairs at each side thereof so thatatleast'twoof SlSS 0f the tube insu-lilies` the latter terminal the signals will bevisible to anobserver regardfrom the metallic lamp support. The ends 28of less orirom what angle thevehicie is viewed. the lamp supports areSeated in the 1a-singapor-A signals may` be mounted on anyfportion of'tures 26 and 4there is suilicient spring in the the vehicle, where theymay be clearly seen, prei'- 'metal 0f the SllPDOlliSA S0 that the endsare urged 45 erably on the fenders 8. f into contact with the strap`22which encircles the e Each of the fenders l, or other surface of thelamp Casing and the depressed portions 3| of the vehicle body upon whichthe signals are mounted, support are urged outwardly so as toiirmly en-`isprovided with an aperture through which the gage the periphlies 0fthe tubes 32- The tubes 50 `electric wiring may be paed andoverlying.the 32, when energized, display differently 'colored 50 i aperture, andsecured'to the fender'by means of j lights for instance, one of thetubes may be made screws Il, is a base I2 any aperture I3., of whiteglass and filled with neon gas so that it thereinwhich registers withtheli'ender aperture 9. fwill semit a red light and the other tube may ff YDisposed `on the base I2 is'estreamlinedhollow, be` made oi' yelloworamber glass and filled with y Y A 155 signal lamp. casing comprising anupper section mercury-vapor so thatyit will emit a green light. 55

Due` to the provision oi' the S-shaped bends 29 in the lamp supports thelamps ,are free to move, within limits, in any direction within the lampcasing. I'his will be understood upon reference to Figures 3 and 4 ofthe drawing wherein it will be seen that movement of the lampsvertically or transversely of the longitudinal axis of the casing ispermitted due to eidng of the bends 29; while movement of the lampsparallel to the axis of the casing is permitted due to the ability ofthe portions of the supports between each of the lamp depressions `3|and the fixed sides Z9 to twist as the relative positions of theaforementioned portions of the support are shifted. -This universallyresilient mounting of the lamps is pary ticularly useful in absorbing agreat portion of thev force of road shocks which would possibly injurethe lamps if the latter-were solidly secured to the vehicle.

The high tension current for exciting the tubes may be obtained from theignition circuit of the motor of the vehicle or from a separate sourceas shown in Figure 5. In this instance a stepuptransiormer 31 isprovided for each 'set of Vtubes and the primary windings 38 of thetransformers are connected through a single pole double-throw switch 39with thebattery 4I and a currentactuated interrupter 42. 'Ihe currentfrom the battery", when the switch 39 isvin either of its extremepositions, will excite the interrupter 42 and cause a pulsating currentto flow in the transformer primary windingthereby inducing inthesecondary'winding a. potential w sumciently great to cause a dischargewithin the tube, the current after passing between the tube electrodesthen passing to ground through the tube support and the strap 2 2 whichis carried by the groundedframe of the vehicle.

The signal devices may be so wired that when it is desired to make aright hand turn, closing ofthe correct pair of contacts of the switch 39`will cause the redlights to be displayed on the right side of the carand the green lights on the left side of the car. Similarly whenVdesiring to make a left hand turn the driver may display red lights onthe left sidepof the car and greenlights on the right side indicatingtothe drivers of approaching or following vehicles that it is safe topass on that side of the car displaying the green light,

In the signalling device of my invention just described, the importantfeatures, other than the use -of electric discharge tubes as the sourceof light, which because kof their intensity andv ability to penetratefog are capable of a greater range of visibility than ordinary lamps,are the resilient mounting of the tubes by the curved` portions 29 ofthe lamp support,` thereby protecting the fragilertubes against shocks,the novel manner of mounting theV supports in the aperrsections havingopposed vnotches therein registrable ywhen said sections are joined toprovide a pair of opposed apertures, a light source in said casing andmeans engaging said light source and in said apertures for resilientlysupporting said light source for movement in any direction in saidcasing. 1 l

' 2. A'vehicle signal device comprising a casing, having a pairof joinedsections, each of said sections having opposed notches thereinregistrable when said sections are joined to provide a pair of opposedapertures, a plurality of tubular lamps in said casing and means forsupporting said lamps for movement in any direction in said casingcomprising a plurality of members each having depressions' therein inwhich said `lamps mayseat and portions entering the apertures of saidcasing.

3. A vehicle signal device comprising a hollow casing having a pair ofsections provided with abutting rims, said sections each having notchesin opposed portions of the rims thereof registrable, when the latter areinV abutting relationship, to provide in the casing' a pair of opposedapertures, a lamp within said casing, and a bracket for supporting saidlamp for movement in any directionwithin the casing having portionsdisposed in said casing apertures, a portion engaging said lamp, anduniversally. resilient portions joining said lamp engaging portion and'the portions disposed in said apertures.

4. A vehicle signal device comprising a hollow casing having a pair ofsections provided with abutting rims and a peripheral groove, saidsections each having notches in QPPOsed portions of the rims thereofv yregistrable, when the latter are in abutting relationship,tov provide inthe casing a pair of opposedv apertures, a lamp within said casing, abracket for supporting saidflamp l fory movement casing apertures.v

' HI KOREMATSU.

